Live Tiny ~ Embrace Simplicity ~ Eat Well

Tag: essential oils

Today we tackle the spice cabinet. Take everything out, clean the cabinet or spice rack thoroughly. Then go through the herbs and spices and remove old products that you don’t use. Compost the product and recycle the container for items you no longer need. Anything that has MSG in it is an automatic toss – inspect the salt & spice blends and flavor packets especially. A good rule of thumb is to get rid of anything you have not used in the past year.

Shrimp Rohini by Chef Carmen

This is an excellent time to transfer all the bottles over to uniform glass or take advantage of a new space saving spice storage system. Store spices away from heat and sunlight which will damage the quality of the product. Then put everything back as you like it and step back to admire the transformation. Well done!

If you are intrigued by the idea of using essential oils for their remarkable fresh flavors, and aren’t sure where to begin – allow me to suggest Young Living as my brand of choice. They are the best in the business and I have enjoyed using essential oils in my food very much. See how I made layered mints here, and if you’d like to learn more about essential oils in general – I have a wealth of information over here and when you begin a wholesale membership and become a member of my “oily” family, you’ll quickly see why everyone is talking about essential oils these days. Essential oils are one of the secrets to tiny house living to me, these little space saving potions are useful in so many ways.

Shrimp Rohini

No matter what your favorite flavors, today is your day to get them out, clean them up, and put them in order. This is another rewarding task and bravo to each of you who have continued through this process to simplify your kitchen and prepare for living tiny.

BTW, here is a recipe I created that features some of my favorite spices: Shrimp Rohini. I recently heard from a reader who switched out the shrimp for chicken and she loved it – so there’s a variation you might also enjoy.

I’m Carmen Shenk, the Tiny House Foodie, reminding you that we can #LiveTiny #EmbraceSimplicity and still #EatWell. Thanks for watching, I really appreciate it!

I make a number of Christmas treats each year, and this one is so simple and fun, and it’s always so fun to see how people respond. This year I really stepped it up a notch using a transfer sheet to leave a design on the chocolate, and I’ve also upgraded to Young Living’s Vitality line of essential oils – spearmint and peppermint – and the flavor is fresh, complex, and wonderful. This is such a fun quick project for the holidays and I hope you try it and let me know how it goes for you. And as always, thanks for watching, I really appreciate it!

I’m back with a video on refrigeration in a tiny house – or in any dwelling that happens to have wheels. Any time you can unplug your house, that includes unplugging your fridge. So it may require just a little extra consideration when moving your tiny haven-home around the county or the country.

There’s a little sneak peek of me and the Tiny House Foodie kitchen a few months back before we removed the big monster energy-suck fridge and gave the place a much needed makeover. It looks better now, don’t you agree? And the color of my hair is always changing, so you will always be able to tell when I mix up new and old footage! lol!

Keeping foods out of the danger zone in your tiny house is really important so that you don’t get sick. This applies to cooked foods and proteins such as meat, eggs, and dairy products. Most other things (aside from a thousand and one plastic salad dressing bottles) don’t require refrigeration – aside from beer and white wine, obvs.

Have you noticed how many tiny house folks are vegan or vegetarian? I have. It really is so much easier when traveling especially, to keep those things to a minimum so that you don’t end up throwing away expensive products when you don’t know how long they’ve been in the danger zone, and also so that your health isn’t at risk. Have you ever looked at a piece of meat and wondered if it is ok or not? Chances are, it’s fine. But nobody wants to be wrong about that!

And when you are… that’s when my little friend Digize comes to the rescue! There have been a number of times when I could tell I was eating something that was not cooked properly, but I didn’t want to offend the host and hostess. Sometimes you can tell when you bite into a nut or seed that they’ve gone off and the oils are rancid – stop eating immediately! I’ve even been served some fish that had an ever-so-slight smell… you know the one. And again… I knew it wasn’t going to sit well, but I did what you do when you love the cook and his or her good intentions. Sometimes the food doesn’t have to be off for my stomach to freak out over it, just a different cook in a different kitchen with a different set of bacteria. So I keep a bottle of Digize with me, ESPECIALLY when I’m traveling! It’s a blend of essential oils formulated for digestive support for those moments when something you ate just wasn’t… right. More info on the Digize blend of essential oils at Anoint-Ed.com.

In addition, while we are on the topic of cold storage and happy digestion, here’s a handy little chart for cooking various proteins so you get it “done” without turning it into something slightly more flavorful than the neighbor’s driveway. As always – rules are made to be broken. Sushi is our very favorite thing and there is a place we love to visit where the Sushi chef has become a friend of ours and he always makes something special and sends it over to our table. I never know exactly what every component is, I just know the colors, flavors, and textures are divine! It’s so much fun to see someone who enjoys making food for the flavor and the art of it. I hope you learned something today that will help you as you transition into tiny house living. Thanks for visiting my blog, I appreciate it. Stay safe out there and know which risks are worth taking, and keep a bottle of Digize close wherever you roam.